Pile-driver.



Y A. B. CLARK.

PILE DRIVER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1906. RENEWED NOV. 18, 1909.1,010,723,

Patented Dec.5, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLKNOORAPH COWWASHINGTON, D. c.

A. B. CLARK.

PILE DRIVER. APPLICATION FILED my 4, 1906. RENEWED NOV. 13, 1909.

Patented Deaf, 1911.

I ll

,COLUMIIA PLANOGM w 'm DC AMASA B. CLARK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FILE-DRIVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

Application filed May 4, 1906, Serial No. 315,137. Renewed November 18,1909. Serial No. 528,768.

in suitable ways and allowed to drop upon the end of the pile, and hasfor its object to provide an improved pile-driving apparatus wherein thehammer can be of any desired lateral dimension or provided with anaperature or perforation through it,

through which a jet pipe or similar instrument may be manipulated.

The invention comprises various other features of construction andcombination of parts as will be hereinbelow fully described and moreparticularly pointed out in the accompanying claims.

In the two sheets of drawings which form a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pile-driver constructed according tomy invention, with parts of the leader-frame broken away and the hammerand pile in vertical section; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of Fig. 1;Fig. 3 is a detail illustrating a convenient means of bringing the pileinto position between the leaders, a tubular pile being shown; Fig. 4 isa section of Fig. 2 on line IV thereof showing the hammer and leaders;Fig. 5 is a plan View of the hoisting mechanism; Fig. 6 is an aXialsection through the difierential winding drums of said mechanism; Fig. 7is a side elevation with parts in section and broken away, of thedriving member of the differential gearing and its pinions; Fig. 8 is afront elevation of the differential gearing with parts broken away; andFig. 9'is a detail described later.

The frame 1, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is constructed with the usualvertical leaders 2, 2, and the platform 3 upon which the windingmechanism is located. At the head of the frame are suitably 'journaled anumber of sheaves overwhich the various lines of hoist-ing rope arepassed. The gravity hammer 4- slides in the guideway formed by the twoleaders, and is preferably-made with oppositerecessesengaging saidleaders I as indicated by Figs. 2 and 4:, but any other suitable form ofguidewaycan be employed with equal effect. The hammer is supplied with adouble-line hoist comprising two hoisting lines or stretches of ropeconnected thereto at separated points thereon about equally distantfromthe said leaders, and

by means of which it may be lifted to the top of the guideway so as tobe dropped upon the pile. The two hammer-lifting :linesare marked 5 and6 in the accompany ing drawlngs and are passed over the sheaves 7 and 8,respectively, and from .thence led to the winding drums 9 and 10 of thehoisting mechanism. According to the form of my invention illustrated inthe present drawings, these winding drums are interrelated with eachother, so that they balance or equalize the tension upon the lines 5 and6, when said drums are connected with the driving mechanism. The meanswhereby such balance is obtained involves a well known principle ofdifferential gearing, and is constructed asv follows: The drums 9 and 10(Fig. 6) are idly mounted on the shaft 11 and their proximate ends areprovided with clutch-members 12 adapted to engage with complementaryclutchmembers 13, 13 respectively, each of which is carried by, or formsa part of, one of the bevel gears 14. The differential drivegear 15 iskeyed to the shaft 11 and carries the differential pinions 16 in meshwith said bevel gears 14, and is driven by the pinion 16 on thedrive-shaft 17, which latter is operated by the engine or other motor inany suitable manner. The two winding drums 9 and 10 may be moved axiallyupon the shaft 11 by means of the right and left hand screws 19 and 20which, as shown in Fig. 6, are threaded into extensions ofthe bearing ofthe shaft 11 and act through the ends of said shaft against the hubs 9and 10, respectively, of the winding drums, to force them into clutchingengagement with their complementary clutch members 13, 13.

A set of levers and links 21 is supplied for operating each of thescrews and the two sets are interconnected by the horizontal shaft 22 sothat'both drums are constrained to be forced equally against theirrespective clutch members and may be so moved by the operator fromeither side.

While the utility of the foregoing arrangement will. be apparent tothose versed in this art, it will be understood that other forms ofclutch operating means may be substituted for the one herein describedwith equal effect.

The outer ends of the winding drums are shown provided with ratchetgears 23.

In operation, the power exerted through the pinion 16 upon thedifferential drivegear 15 is transmitted to the gears 14 in the inverseratio of the load upon the latter, and when these gears are clutched tothe winding drums, by the action of the screws, the hoisting lines 5 and6 are wound upon them with tensions in each which are equalized orbalanced, with the result that the hammer is lifted evenly and freelywithout tendency to bind or cramp in the leaders. Release of theclutching pressure allows the hammer to fall by gravity in the usualmanner.

Between the points of attachment of the. lines 5 and 6 with the hammer,a vertical recess 2 1 is provided, for the purpose of receiving ajet-pipe. such as 25, which is provided more especially for use insinking tubular piles of the kind shown in the drawings. The jet-pipe issuspended by a line 26 passing over the sheave 27 and connected with thewinding drum 28, of ordinary construction, whereby it may be raised andlowered in the usual manner.

In order to avoid the upsetting effect of the direct impacts of thehammer upon the end of the pile, I provide the latter with a followerblock 29 which is also vertically recessed to receive the jet pipe andfits over the end of the pile, as shown. Its upper end is supplied withan anvilblock 30, which is removable, and a lateral vent opening 31 isalso provided in the block, by means of which the waste from theinterior of the hollow pile may be conveniently conducted away. Thefollower bloek is retained between the leaders by means of oppositerecesses engaging the same, similar to those on the hammer, as shown inFig. 2. As a matter of convenience the hammer and follower block areprovided with hooks for a rope connection 32 between them (dotted lines,Fig. 1) whereby the block may be hoisted with the hammer when thedriving of a pile has been completed. When the frame has been adjustedfor the next operation, a new pile may be lowered in place by means ofthe hoisting-chain 33 passing over the sheave 34 on the same shaft asthe sheave 27 as indicated in Fig. 3.

The apparatus as above described may be further employed for operatingordinary single line hammers by utilizing either one of the lines 5 or 6and drums 9 or 10, but the differential gears 14 must first be lockedtogether or to the drive-gear 15. For this purpose I show in Fig. 9 twogear engaging dogs 35 adapted to be clamped one on eithei side of theweb of the drive-gear 15 and in respective engagement with a few of theteeth of the bevel gears 14-, by means of the bolts 36 which pierce thesaid drive-gear 15 as indicated in Figs. 7 and 8. .Vith the gears 14thus locked either o the winding drums 9 or 10 may be emploved with thesingle hoisting line.

It will be understood fron, the foregoing description and the followingclaims that this invention is not limited to the specific means shownfor equalizing or balancing the tension on the two lines which raise thegravity hammer, but that it includes other and differently constructedmeans for producing a like effect Having described my invention, what Iclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent are:

1. I11 a pile-driver, a gravity hannner adapted to slide in a suitableguideway and two lines or stretches of hoisting rope connected to exertlifting force on said hammer at separated points thereon, in combinationwith a winding mechanism connected with said lines for hoisting thehammer, and means for balancing the tension on said lines. whereby thehammer is lifted evenly in said guideway.

2. In a pile-driver, a gravity hammer adapted to slide upon a suitableguideway and provided with a longitudinal aperture or recess, and twoseparated lines or stretches of hoisting rope connected to lift saidhammer, in combination with hoisting mechanism and means for balancingthe tension exerted thereby upon said lines.

In a pile-driver, a gravity hammer adapted to slide between verticallnulers and provided with a longitudinal aperture, and two hoistinglines connected with said hammer at separated points thereon, incombination with a hoisting mechanism and means for equalizing thelifting effect exerted thereby through each hoisting line, upon saidhammer.

4-. In a pile-driver, a gravity hammer adapted to slide upon a suitableguideway and separated hoisting lines attached to said hammer, incombination with a hoisting mechanism for raising said hammer and meansassociated with said hoisting mechanism for balancing the tension onsaid hoisting lines.

5. In a pile-driver, a gravity hammer adapted to drop between suitableleaders, and two hoisting lines attached. to said hammer at separatedpoints thereon, in combination with a winding drum for each of saidlines and a differential gearing interconnecting said drums.

6. In a pile-driver, a gravity hammer adapted to slide in the verticalleaders of a pile-driver frame and provided with a vertical recess oraperture, in combination with a jet-pipe adapted to be received by saidaperture and projected into the pile.

7. In a pile-driver, a gravity hammer adapted to slide in a suitableguideway and provided with a vertical aperture, and a follower blockretained in said guidoway and also providedv with a vertical aperture,in combination witha jet-pipe adapted to be1 passed through saidapertures into the p1 e.

8. In a pile-driver, a gravity hammer provided with a vertical apertureand hoisting lines attached to said hammer around said aperture, incombination with a jet-pipe adapted to be inserted in said aperture, anda line for lifting said jet-pipe, located between said hoisting lines.

9. In a pile driver, the combination of a gravity hammer, means forguiding the same, a double line hoist for said hammer, said hoist beingconnected to said hammer at separate points and means for balancing thetension on each line.

10. In a pile driver the combination of a gravity hammer having adouble-line hoist and means for balancing the tension on each linecomprising a form of differential connection between the same.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to the specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

- AMASA B. CLARK. Witnesses A. A. Lonznn, H. G. KIMBALL.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

